The Netherlands & Greece: Dutch Supreme Court rejects Heineken’s jurisdiction appeal in long-running Macedonian Thrace Brewery litigation

The Dutch Supreme Court last week rejected an appeal on jurisdiction by Heineken and its Greek subsidiary Athenian Brewery in a long-running damages claim brought by Macedonian Thrace Brewery ("MTB"), producer of the popular Greek beer Vergina, Yahoo! Finance reported on June 2.

The case stems from a 2015 decision of the Hellenic Competition Commission ("HCC") which found that Athenian Brewery had abused its dominant position in the Greek beer market for at least 16 years in order to exclude competitors, including MTB.

Heineken and Athenian Brewery have repeatedly challenged the jurisdiction of the Dutch courts, arguing that claims against Athenian Brewery should not be heard in the Netherlands. Last week’s ruling confirmed that the Dutch courts were correct to accept jurisdiction over claims against Heineken’s Greek subsidiary arising from its anti-competitive conduct in Greece, fully in line with MTB’s position from the outset. The decision follows a referral and preliminary ruling by the European Court of Justice ("ECJ") in February 2025.

The Supreme Court ruling clears the way in the main proceedings for the Amsterdam District Court to issue its final decision on damages which is expected this summer.

03 June, 2026